


Sweater Curse

by HorribleThing



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 17:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1194378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HorribleThing/pseuds/HorribleThing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys Rose knits for never seem to stick around.  Luckily, Jade is there to pick up the abandoned sweaters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweater Curse

**Author's Note:**

> Written quite some time ago for Semianonymity. Written so long ago that it was pre Rose/Kanaya. It was also written before Rose developed a drinking problem, so as a warning it does contain a brief reference to her consuming alcohol.

**1\. Shetland Wool, Charcoal Grey.**

He’s her first boyfriend.

In high school she had never bothered, too busy being shocked at her own survival and trying to focus on the future to engage in something that seemed so frivolous.  But he asks her to grab a bite to eat with him during orientation, and it seems like the type of thing she should do.  The type of thing a normal college girl would do.

They’re “together” soon after, as strange as it is.  By late October Rose starts wondering about holiday presents, and decides in a manner that is certainly not passive aggressive to just  _make_  one for him, sweater curse be damned.

She has never made a garment for someone else before, but this one is simple enough.  All basic knit, except the sleeves with a simple cable running down them, a bit like military braiding.  Very on trend.

When there’s only the piecing together left (she even has the parts pinned to her ironing board, already blocked), he asks to speak with her in person.  The conversation is not what she expected it to be.

She’s too cold.  She doesn’t care about him.   She never wants to see him.  She never shares anything about her life, never lets him meet her friends.  It’s not working and he’s tired of trying to make it.  He can’t worry about this during finals.  He’s  _sorry_.

Perhaps the worst part is she had thought things had been going well.

She finishes up the sweater anyway, pieces it together with stitches so small they’re barely visible. 

It would fit Dave better.  He would wear it well, with the casual ease he wears his entire ludicrous wardrobe.

But Jade pulls it on while there for a consolation sleepover and rubs the too long sleeves against her face (“It’s so nice Rose!”), and Rose can’t imagine giving it to anyone else.

 

**2.  Merino, Cranberry**

The new one’s birthday is coming soon, so she starts on a hooded sweater for him.

Half way through he apologizes, saying he met someone else.  Rose feels a little upset, but primarily because she likes to see projects to completion.

When it’s done she decides that attending his party would be awkward after all.  It must be socially unacceptable to show up as the freshly dumped girlfriend and have to introduce yourself to the new one.

Jade comes over instead, and Rose has no one else right there to give it to, so letting her friend keep it seems like the easiest way to save closet space.

 

**3.  Lamb’s Wool, Black and Electric Blue**

He grows dull quickly and he lacks technique, too quick to touch.  She avoids him and knits until his texts turn angry, and then stop coming all-together.

She and Jade go out to dinner to celebrate, and Jade pulls on the striped sweater vest as they head out the door.

 

**4\. Cotton, Ochre**

A trip to the yarn store and fifteen rows.

That one was probably a mistake.

 

**5\. Silk, Poppy Orange**

An airy scarf, perfect for the end of summer.

He insults the color.  She insults his taste.  And just like that, it’s over.

Rose has to remind Jade that she can’t wear it all of the time.  Jade reminds her that she actually is aware of proper lab safety, so it won’t be a problem.

(“It is a very nice scarf, though!  If I didn’t have to worry about setting myself on fire I would never take it off!”)

 

**6.  Merino, Aubergine**

“Well I always get your projects that don’t work out, so I thought I should make you something in return!”

“Jade, that is an incredibly kind gesture, a testament to the sweetness of your spirit but I’m afraid…”

“Yes?”

“This is the most unfortunate looking Squiddle I have ever seen.”

“Well I guess it just needs extra love then!  Besides, we can’t all be craft world super stars.”

Jade leaves with the knit cap made for the boy that lasted two weeks.

 

**7.  Linen, Goldenrod**

The V is too deep on Jade, the neckline too large.  People are staring as she dances, her sweater (the last boy’s sweater) falling off of her shoulders.  Jade dances with boys and dances with girls and kisses more than half of them, before she and a very pretty grad student slip towards the back of the house the party is at, hands reaching for exposed skin.

Rose decides that the vodka isn’t sitting well with her, and goes outside for fresh air.

 

~~**8.**   **Alpaca, Cream**~~

The yarn itself was obscenely expensive.  Baby alpaca, first shearing.  Hand spun at a little independent farm two hours away from her house.  All of it knit up into a v-neck with three rows of cabling, one of them with bobbles.

It’s the nicest thing she’s ever made.

It’s  _far_   _too small for him_.

She should be happy.  He’s courteous and witty and gives her space when she needs it.  He’s there for her when she needs that, too.  He’ll sit in her room with her and not say anything on the days when she just needs a body there to remind her that she isn’t one of the last humans left, that the world is full of people and she doesn’t have to be alone if she doesn’t want to be.  On more than one occasion there have been whispers that’s she’s caught, quiet muffled conversations about how a guy like him is too good for someone like her.  But he likes her anyway, he chose to be with her.

She should be  _happy_.

In the dark of her dorm room loft, Rose squeezes her eyes shut and presses the misshapen little Squiddle to her chest.

 

A week later they meet for coffee and she ends it.  She just  _can’t_  anymore.

The sweater sits folded up in a box at the back of her closet.

 

~~**8\. Alpaca, Cream** ~~

“Have you told her?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, John.”

“Rose, I know you’re sort of complicated, but I’m pretty sure this situation has a simple solution.

“I’m not even sure that I-”

“ _I_ picked up on it.  Everyone has picked up on it.  Except for Jade because social cues aren’t really things you learn when you’re raised by a dog.”

“Even if my feelings for Jade happened to not be purely platonic, I couldn’t simply  _tell her_.  That isn’t a solution at all.  It will just inevitably lead to more problems, possibly including the dissolution of our friendship-”

“Jade and I talk.  Trust me.  You should just tell her.”

“…”

“She never shuts up about you and your sweaters, you know?”

 

**8\. Alpaca, Cream**

“I know it seems like a standard request at this point, but will you humor me and try this on?”  She pulls the sweater out from the box and holds it up.  It’s softer than she had remembered.

Jade looks at it and then looks at her, all wide-eyed and startled.

“Rose, this is way too nice for me, I don’t know if should-”

“ _Please_.”

Jade pulls of her top, and slips the sweater on.  It fits her like a glove, so perfectly that Rose’s mouth twists and she has to turn away and cover her face with her hands because the expression she’s making is hideous.

“Rose.  Oh Rose.  I didn’t know.  I didn’t know.  I’m so bad at this!  There are these  _rules_ and I don’t understand any of them so I didn’t think it could be a thing, I didn’t know!”

She’s laughing now, bitter and hurting as it all bubbles up to the surface.  All of the years of trying to be something she’s not and pretending she didn’t want things that she did.  She’s tried her hardest and it it’s all for nothing.

Jade circles around and squeezes Rose’s shoulders, trying to look her in the eyes.

“Rose, if I had known I would have asked you out ages ago.”

Jade kisses her then, and Rose laughs against her mouth, all wet and sad.

She feels so stupid.  She could have already had this.  She could have been happy.

She could have saved so much yarn.

 

**9.  Bamboo, Mint**

“I don’t know Rose, it’s not really my style.  But I guess if any guy can pull off a frilly-ass ribboned ruffle-y camisole, it’s me.”

“Oh no.  Now that I see it, that color doesn’t suit you at all.  You’ll have to pass it along to someone else.”

“Oh, let me guess.  It should be handed off to one Miss Jade Harley.”

“What a stroke of genius.  I’m so glad that you’re my brother.”

“So is that what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life?  Playing pass along the sweater because some superstitious granny came up with the idea that knitting for your boyfriend or ladyfriend will make the shelf life of your relationship last about as long as a couple set up on The Bachelor?”

“It seems probable, yes.”

“I would have rocked the shit out of this top.”

“I know you would have, Dave.”

 

(It fits her like a dream.)


End file.
